Three weeks of going back and forth between costume ideas. Six days of sewing, hot gluing and googley-eyeing said costume, 30 minutes of getting dressed and finally, two hours of trick or treating. And what’s the result? The Mt. Everest of candy! Your kiddo just brought home every chocolate-coated, cookie-crunching, nougat-filled sugary treat that was ever made. You could let your adorably costumed tot chow down, but the sugar high is something you don’t ever want to see. That means it’s time for a super-sneaky (and completely creative) swap!
1. The Switch Witch: Ohhhhh, scary! Or, not. The Switch Witch is kind of like the Tooth Fairy. But, instead of taking a tooth and leaving behind cash, she takes the candy and leaves behind a non-sugary treat. This doesn’t mean she just swaps out your child’s chocolate for apples. She can bring stickers, a small toy or any other “prize” that your child will totally appreciate.
2. Trading Up: So you don’t want to sneak a switch at night. Get your little one to take part in it. Let her trade some of her sweets for other options. Make the swap even — meaning that she needs more candy for bigger and better trades. Does she want a pizza dinner? Sure. But, that might mean handing over half her stash. Maybe she’d rather have something smaller. That’s fine, she can trade in a few pieces instead.
3. Bake a Cake: Hmm. Sounds kind of counterintuitive, right? Not necessarily. Unwrap chocolate or caramel types of candies and add them to your favorite cake or brownie recipe. Invite a few friends over for a post-Halloween playdate. Divide up the cake or ration out the brownies, and give everyone one piece. Now your child’s pillowcase full of candy is reduced to a piece or two in the middle of a one-time dessert. If you want to keep it healthy (or, at least healthier) try a carrot cake or add in fruit to the mix.
4. Candy Cap: Simply said — put a limit on that candy cavalcade. Come up with a mutually agreeable number (obviously, you get the final word). Put the candy somewhere that your child can’t (and won’t) get to it. Hand out the candy, keeping track of how much your child gets each day. Make it even more fun and create a candy sticker chart. Draw a week-long calendar grid onto poster board and put it in the kitchen. Your child can add a sticker for each piece of candy she gets. Give your kiddo the option to have less candy than the agreed upon number. If her end of the week sticker total comes in low, she gets a special prize!
5. Artsy Option: Those jewel-toned hard candies look like, well, jewels. Go ahead and use them in a jewel-like way. Your child can glue candies (not chocolates, as they melt) onto cardboard to make a mosaic or push them into play clay to add texture. You can also melt down (and cool) chocolates and let your tot finger paint! Keep in mind, you can’t keep the candy crafts around for long. Snap a few pictures to make the holiday memories last.
(Photos via Getty)
